2010, NBC announced that it had given a thirteen episode order for The Event, followed by the announcement that Evan Katz had signed as showrunner and executive producer. A week later, the network announced that the series would appear on the Fall 2010 television schedule, airing on Mondays at 9 pm. On October 18, 2010, NBC announced it ordered nine more episodes, giving the show a twenty-two episode season. In mid-July 2010 Clifton Collins, Jr. was cast as Thomas, a character described as "a key player in the show's secret conspiracy". The series is a thriller, love story, and mystery with an element of science fiction. Unlike other well known series of the same genre, producers had promised timely answers to mysteries, with some answers provided as early as the upcoming episode. Executive producer Evan Katz stated that "everything is designed to answer questions so you're not frustrated or feeling like we're making it up as we go along" and the writers intended to keep the viewers guessing in a "fair way." Episodes Reception Reviews The Event was one of four new series screened at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2010, with The Hollywood Reporter saying the crowd response suggested "NBC's fall drama The Event came up a big winner." Reviews of the pilot episode were generally favorable, scoring 67 out of 100 on Metacritic, and invoking many comparisons to 24 (Evan Katz‘s other produced show) and Lost (another science fiction show), each of which had ended its run the preceding spring of 2010. Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times called it "as big, brash and promising as Heroes was a few years back". Variety'''s Brian Lowry called it "an enticing start". Linda Stasi of the New York Post stated that "if 24, Lost, and The 4400 had a baby, it would be The Event". Some more cautious commentators said the show had promise but could not go on tantalizing the audience with a proliferation of mysteries. "The effort required to follow the story", said Barry Garron of The Hollywood Reporter, "goes well beyond what most viewers might be willing to give." Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly called the pilot "an irritating tease" and hoped the second episode would answer some of the questions the pilot asked. Ratings The pilot episode received 10.88 million viewers and a 3.6/9 adults 18–49 rating/share, placing third in its timeslot at 9:00 pm